Bank robberies up since last year

Bank robberies are on the rise in Houston and Harris County, and robbers are going to extreme measures to hide their identities and scare their victims.

Braylon Marshall, 23, has been accused of robbing the First Convenience Bank inside a northwest Harris County grocery store earlier this month. Investigators said he was dressed as a woman during the heist and threatened that his boyfriend was waiting in a car and was ready to blow up a bomb.

Investigators said there was a device, but it wasn't a bomb.

Marshall got away with $466 in cash and ditched the getaway vehicle, detectives said. Later that same day, someone saw a person matching Marshall's description getting out of a car that is registered to Marshall's father.

FBI officials said they showed Marshall's father a picture of the cross-dressing robber, and he said it resembled his son. When KPRC Local 2 spoke to the father on Thursday, he said robbing bank and dressing in women's clothing didn't fit his son's character.

"He's a good kid," Lionell Marshall said. "Raised Christian, be in church every Sunday."

Lionell Marshall said his son rarely stays at his home and has been known to live with friends.

Authorities said "the boyfriend" in the robbery has confessed to the heist. A warrant has been issued for Braylon Marshall's arrest.

Detectives said the Houston/Harris County area is on pace to set a record for bank robberies. There have been 134 so far this year. There were 78 bank robberies in the area in 2011 and 171 in 2010.

FBI Bank Robbery Task Force statistics for 2001-2012

Houston/Harris County

2001

143

2002

151

2003

101

2004

101

2005

106

2006

56

2007

116

2008

131

2009

155

2010

171

2011

78

2012 (as of 9/27)

134

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